Kamis, 28 Februari 2013

Collin Brewer resigns

That Collin Brewer should have felt the need to resign following his horrible comments about disabled children is no surprise. That it has taken this long to happen is.

Collin made the comments 18 months ago. I have no reason to doubt the explanation he has given - that he was 'het up' after a council meeting. But that cannot be any excuse for hate speech such as this. To be honest, I think his place on the council was finished at that point.

I know that some have been criticising the delay in the Standards Committee report and what appears to be the wishy-washy punishment - telling him to apologise. Sadly, the procedure is now different from what it was in the past and the range of punishments far less. In the past a suspension could have been recommended. Now the demand for an apology is the highest sanction. There is no doubt, therefore, that Cornwall's standards committee and the staff involved in the process followed the rules to the letter. But Collin could have chosen to resign at any point during this process and it appears that only during an interview with Laurence Reed yesterday did he truly realise how untenable his position had become.

I regret that any councillor should have to resign their position and Collin has undoubtedly done a lot for his community over the years. But it was right that he should resign and voters will have the chance to elect someone to replace him in two months time.

Full credit also to Disability Cornwall who have shown great leadership over this sorry matter.